At least 22 planes diverted to Colorado Springs Airport on Monday night, with emergency crews transporting one person to the hospital
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NEED TO KNOW
- Severe turbulence is believed to have caused injuries on multiple flights diverted to Colorado Springs on Monday night
- Passengers described terrifying flight experiences with one saying they prayed on a plane for the first time
- Experts warn turbulence near Denver is common but could worsen with changing weather patterns in the future
At least five people were injured and about two dozen planes were diverted as severe weather struck Colorado on Monday night.
Twenty-two aircraft flying to Denver were forced to divert to the Colorado Springs Airport on the evening of Monday, Aug. 3, a facility spokesperson confirmed to local outlets KUSA and KXRM. The alternate landings came as a cold front brought gusty winds and changes in wind direction, per CNN meteorologists.
At least five individuals, all on different planes, complained of injury or illness, a spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Fire Department confirmed to PEOPLE. One person was transported to the hospital in stable condition. Authorities believe “turbulence played a part in their injuries.”
“This was a drawn out incident,” the spokesperson said. “It wasn’t a one patient after another type of thing. We staged at the airport for a number of hours as diverted planes came in, and as people either getting off those planes or waiting on those planes complained of injuries we tended to them.”
Passengers on board the diverted aircraft described terrifying conditions as the planes altered course.
“You know on a roller coaster where you drop down and your stomach and butterflies goes up into your head? That times like 20 happened probably three or four times on the flight,” passenger Beau Wimberly, who was flying in from California with his family, told CBS News Colorado.
Another passenger, Derek Walker, told the outlet on Tuesday: “I’ve never prayed on a plane before but I did yesterday.”
Fortunately, passengers were provided some relief as they neared the airport.
“Every second as we slowed down, I was like, ‘Alright, a little safer, a little safer, a little safer.’ Then finally we stopped,” Wimberly said.
Credit: RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty
In a statement, United Airlines confirmed 12 of its mainline flights diverted to Colorado Springs after strong winds impacted landing conditions in Denver. The airline did not report any customer or crew injuries.
Experts say turbulence near Denver is common due to the proximity to the Rocky Mountains. However, changing weather patterns suggest severe turbulence could be more common in the future.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Colorado Springs Airport for comment.
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